Of injustice and intervention

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For our offenses are many in your sight,
and our sins testify against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
and we acknowledge our iniquities:
rebellion and treachery against the Lord,
turning our backs on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,
uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
So justice is driven back,
and righteousness stands at a distance;
truth has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
Truth is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm achieved salvation for him,
and his own righteousness sustained him.
He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
According to what they have done,
so will he repay
wrath to his enemies
and retribution to his foes;
he will repay the islands their due. - Isaiah 59:12-18
 As I was reading this passage in my quiet time today, I was appalled by the parallel between this passage and some of the prayer points we were praying about during lunch.

The passage makes me wonder where the people who were supposed to administer justice were? Were there really no one who will stand up against injustice and for righteousness? The consolation is that even when there is no one, the Scripture is clear that God will make things right one day. But there're some people out there who care enough to intercede for the issues of the day, to intercede against anti-family agendas, to intercede against injustice happening around. The few people who gathered at FBG office during lunch time every Monday are the prime example of this as these people gather on a weekly basis to pray for our nation and to pray against the advances of injustice and unrighteousness in the nation.

My question to myself is this: do I want to stand by the sideline when I do see injustice and unrighteousness? Do I want to hide when the truth is distorted? The answer is an obvious no. Yet I continue to pray that I will find the courage to speak up against such stuff, no matter how small or how large they may be. Today, even if Jesus is coming back, it does not mean I can take a step back because we are not called to be idle but to do something.

And if we can do something, we should do it.

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